The Best Instagram Image Size For Brand Marketing

Instagram is a highly visual platform. Photos and videos need to be crisp and aesthetically appealing.

With the newest features, changes must be made. Today, you need to optimize your Instagram image size to keep up with the trend.

In the past, you can only post square, 612px by 612px photos. Today, vertical and horizontal images are widely popular among users.

The right image dimensions can drive engagement. But which Instagram image size is best for brand marketing?

We prepared a simple guide for using image size to boost your Instagram marketing game.

A Guide To Aspect Ratio and Instagram Image Size

Before we dive into specific details, let’s learn the basics. You need to remember two keywords: size and aspect ratio

What Is Aspect Ratio?

It’s the width of the photo or video in relation to its height. Like the size, it is expressed in two numbers. The first digit is the width and the next one represents the height.

Before, Instagram only supports an aspect ratio of 1:1. This limits content to square photos and videos. In 2018, the platform now caters to a variety of aspect ratios.

So, what about Instagram Image Size?

When we talk about Instagram image size, we mean the width and height of your photo or video. The size is usually in pixels. Expressed in two numbers, the first one being the width and the next is the height.

With these results, we can assume that vertical or portrait photos do better than the others.

Why?

Portrait Photos Make The Most Of Screen Real Estate

In a platform where users are served a variety of visual treats, photos need to stand out. Vertical content takes up more screen space. This gives portrait photos a higher chance of being noticed, boosting chances of engagement.

You only have a few seconds to catch people’s attention. Get them interested in your product the moment they see your content.

Tip: Utilize the maximum space allowed to reach out to your audience. Users scroll past smaller images and that’s the last thing you want.

Take a look at For Love and Lemon‘s latest post. It takes up most of the screen. For the moment, they have all of the user’s attention.

Here’s a landscape post from Fully Booked. Look at how it shares screen space with others on the user’s feed. The user’s attention is divided, lowering possible engagement.

Vertical Image Size Are More Detailed

Let’s face it, a landscape photo is more difficult to see. It doesn’t matter whether it’s of high quality. In Instagram, image size and aspect ratio are crucial.

Landscape and portrait photos uploaded on Instagram have the same width. So the former will always have a lower quality.

For example, Try uploading the same photo vertically instead of horizontally. The vertical photo will still be more eye-catching.

Tip: If you have a landscape shot, try cropping it to portrait. Focus on a focal point.

Portraits Are More Likely To Go Viral on Instagram

Each brand has their own aesthetic. This allows them to be easily recognized by their followers. With that said, they are more drawn to an Instagram image size that gets more engagement.

This means more portrait photos.

Take a look at Interior Globe. They curate user-generated content. The featured photos often have an Instagram image size of 600px x 755px.